Legendary Superstar

Minjae was together with Jihoon, Yura, and Seojin. The four of them stood under the lights of the indoor set, waiting for their photographer's cue.

Their photoshoot had been paused for a while as the crew adjusted the camera angles and fixed a minor lighting issue.

The four of them were doing a photoshoot for the drama. It will be a promotional one, set to be displayed on billboards across the country.

Jihoon was lounging on a prop bench, sipping iced coffee through a straw. Seojin was behind him, staring at him as if he were annoying. On the other hand, Yura and Minjae were standing behind, smiling at each other.

They were already practicing their poses.

However, in the middle of it, whispers sounded across the room. They were loud, so it was noticeable.

The whispers started near the monitors, where two assistant directors were scrolling through their phones. Then a stylist rushed in with a phone in hand.

Minjae frowned as he glanced around. He noticed that most of the staff were already looking at something on their phone.

"Something must be up," he muttered, mostly to himself.

Jihoon noticed it too. He straightened his seat and pulled up his phone. One look at the screen and his eyebrows flew up.

"Woah! Woah! Woah!" Jihoon eyes widened as he jumped out of his seat. "So that's what it is! This is huge!"

"What?" Minjae tilted his head.

"Come hyung!" Jihoon's voice was filled with excitement as he turned the screen of his phone toward him. "You might want to see this."

"Breaking News: Seungmin Confirmed as Main Lead in Hwarang Studios' New Historical Drama, "The Last Heir"."

'Oh…" Minjae's brows creased as he stared at it.

Just below the headline was a photo of Seungmin.

Yura and Seojin also stepped closer to them, not wanting to miss the opportunity to look at what was happening.

"Wait, what?" Yura said, leaning in. "Seungmin got the role for The Last Heir?"

Seojin let out a low whistle as he peered over Jihoon's shoulder. "Whoah… I mean, that's the most sought-after drama right now. Didn't they say the script was insane?"

"Yeah, and Hwarang Studio? That's like, A-tier. This is gonna blow up," Jihoon said in an amused voiced as he scrolled through the post. "Look at the retweets already. The whole internet's losing it."

"I mean, come on, guys. It's Seungmin. We all know that people love that guy. And he's perfect for that kind of role. I was also a fan of him! I watched all of his drama." Yura giggled under her breath as she thought of it.

"I bet the drama's gonna break every rating record from the second episode onward." Jihoon chuckled. He initially thought of auditioning for the role after knowing that it's open for everyone, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to get it, so he scrapped that idea in his mind.

The three of them continued reading the comments, throwing around theories about the plot and the love interest since the female lead was still not known.

They were giggling and having fun, but not Minjae.

Minjae stood quietly beside them, his hands tucked in the pockets of his coat. He didn't say anything. He just listened to them and nodded when they asked him questions.

Minjae didn't mind their excitement. It wasn't their fault either way, as they didn't know he had auditioned for The Last Heir, too.

Minjae looked at Seungmin's photo on Jihoon's screen again. Seungmin looked calm and regal.

Yeah… he was perfect for it.

Minjae's jaw clenched for a brief second before he relaxed it again. He smiled slightly, almost to himself.

"Good for him," he said, voice even.

"Right? Pretty wild, huh? I can't believe they were announcing I this early!" Jihoon glanced back at him.

"Yeah," Minjae replied with a nod. "It's definitely a big news."

Just a few minutes after everyone was talking about it, the photographer clapped his hands once. It was loud enough to grab everyone's attention.

"Alright, everyone, let's go back to positions!" he called out. "We're already running so late, so chop chop."

Because of what the director said, the crew members scattered quickly. They quickly went back to their work.

The stylists tucked away their phones, the makeup artists rushed forward to the actors to retouch their make-up, while the lighting tech adjusted the angle of a spotlight above.

"Noooo" Jihoon groaned lightly as he slid his phone back into his pocket. "I guess our break time's over."

"Oh well, let's go." Yura chuckled as he patted Jihoon's shoulder. "smile okay? You'll look ugly in the pictures."

"Hays, I'm already handsome noona." Jihoon smiled with great confidence.

"It's bad to lie, Jihoon." Seojin stretched his neck side to side. "The entire country's going to see these, so look good, okay?"

"Hays…" Jihoon shook his head in defeat. "You two don't know how great I am."

"Alright, guys, stop talking now." Minjae rolled his shoulders and pushed the three lightly to get them moving. He knew that without it, those three would just keep on talking and teasing one another.

As they sat back to their position, the lights hit them once again. The photographer in front of them was also looking serious.

"Let's go for a light atmosphere on this one," the photographer directed. "I want smiles and the look that you're just having fun, alright?"

The four immediately followed the instruction.

Jihoon showed a playful grin, leaning one elbow casually on Seojin's shoulder. Seojin rolled her eyes and leanaed to the side as if moving away.

At the back, Yura tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and turned slightly toward Minjae with his eyes bright with mischief. Minjae, standing tall in the center, let out a soft exhale and curled his lips into a subtle, easy smile.

Click.

The camera shutter made a sound, capturing that one moment where they all looked like the best version of themselves.

However, despite the good energy, Minjae can't help but feel a little down on the inside.